


Reunion

by SidheLives



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Hospitals, Reunions, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22461841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SidheLives/pseuds/SidheLives
Summary: I love Thane Krios but I HATE the reunion scene in ME3 with a romanced Thane. This is my version of that reunion.I've attempted to include as much of the original in game dialog as I can while still handling the scene in a way that makes more sense from my perspective.
Relationships: Thane Krios/Female Shepard
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	Reunion

"Joker! Look who me and Liara dragged out of the rubble on Menae!" Quint clapped Garrus on the back as they walked into the cockpit. He gave a low chuckle, raising one hand in greeting at the ship's pilot.

"Long time no see Garrus! How the hell you been?"

"Well things hadn't been nearly as deadly as I'm used to so I thought I'd throw myself in front of some reapers." He shrugged. "Turns out that's like a signal flare for Shepard here to show up."

"Tell me about it." Joker gave Quint a look and she rolled her eyes. "We get the Primarch on board?"

Quint nodded. "Dropped him at the war room on our way here."

"Nice addition." Garrus glanced around. "Wonder what else has changed in the old girl."

"Don't worry Garrus. The main battery is in the same place." Joker laughed.

The turian grinned. "Suppose you know where I'll be then." He nodded to Quint. "Talk to you later Shepard?"

"Yeah, you get settled in. Liara is in Miranda's old office by the way."

"Good to know. See you Joker."

"See ya Garrus,"

Quint watched him go, smile on her face. She had missed the Turian, and it was good to have someone she trusted completely at her side again.

"Where are we off to next Commander?" Her attention flicked back to Joker.

"We'll need to get to Tuchanka at some point but I want to check in with Traynor before plotting a course anywhere."

"Understood Commander. Just let me know."

She gave him another nod before turning on her heel and heading into the CIC.

"You have new messages at your terminal Commander."

"Give me an overview Traynor."

"A message from Admiral Hackett congratulating you on your success on Menae. Another from Lieutenant Commander Williams, seems she's regained consciousness."

"That's good to hear."

"There is a third but it was heavily encrypted. EDI said she'd take a look at it."

"Commander," Quint was surprised to hear EDI's voice coming through her ear piece rather than over the Normandy's intercom. "The content of the encrypted message is of a personal nature. I believe you would prefer to read it in private. I have forwarded the communication to the terminal in your quarters."

"Uh, okay." Quint looked at Traynor, who's puzzled expression matched her own. "Traynor I'm heading up to my quarters to read my messages. EDI, take the bridge."

"Of course Commander." That time her voice came over the CIC. Traynor saluted before returning to her work and Quint headed for the elevator and up to her quarters.

The elevator ride was quick and Quint emerged with no better idea about what was waiting for her than when she had stepped in.

Out of habit she fed the fish when she got in, pressing the small button on the side of the tank which released their food. She had a VI installed now to keep them fed, but the action was so familiar that she did it without thought.

She sat down at her terminal and opened her messages. As Traynor had said there was one from Hackett, one from Williams, and a third with an invalid sender and the subject line "Is this address valid?"

Quint opened the message and began to read:

_ Quentin, _

_ I've called and I've sent messages, but gotten no response. With Earth's comm system out, I don't expect this will get through, either, but I heard a rumor the Normandy docked here at the Citadel. _

_ Are you alive? I'm at Huerta Memorial Hospital under the name Tannor Nuara. Please excuse the moniker and this email's encryption - in my line of work, it is unwise to advertise my location, particularly when I am not in good health. _

_ We should meet before circumstances force us apart again. _

_ Thane _

As she read the words her heart began to pound harder until the sound of it was all she could hear. When she read his name she jumped up so suddenly she knocked the chair onto it's back.

"EDI?" She shouted, but got no response. Quint realized the listening block she'd asked EDI to place on the room must have survived the Alliance's retrofits and ran into the hall.

"EDI!"

"Yes Commander."

"Get me Joker. Now."

"At once Commander." 

"What's up Commander?" Joker came on the comm almost immediately.

"Plot a course to the Citadel right away."

"The Citadel? But why?"

"Thane is alive."

There was a moment's pause. Quint was on the brink of screaming at him as he answered. "Citadel ASAP. You got it Commander."

"Thanks Joker."

The comm went silent.

Quint was smiling, even as tears filled her eyes.

He was alive.

For six months she had been grounded and on lockdown. No communications in or out. She had lost track of the nights she'd lain awake worrying that she would never see him again. 

She had had no idea when or if the Alliance would lift the restrictions on her and no way of knowing how his Kepral's syndrome had progressed.

There had been nights she had woken in a cold sweat, dreaming of a future where she was exonerated only to find that he had died while she sat in the brig.

Quint felt a pang of guilt that since escaping Earth she had not made inquiries regarding his location or condition. She had the Shadow Broker on her ship for crying out loud. It was not as if Liara didn’t know, or couldn’t find out with a few keystrokes.

Everything had happened so fast. Earth, Mars, Palavan. One had led into another with barely time to breathe. She told herself that with everything it was natural that her attention would become hyper focused, that she would get tunnel vision; It was one of her biggest faults. But this self reminder did nothing to loosen the knot of guilt in her stomach.

“EDI.”

“Yes Commander.”

“Please let me know when we begin our approach on the Citadel.”

“Of course Commander.”

Quint returned to her cabin and righted her desk chair. She sat down and read the email again.

He was in Huerta, which meant he was sick. How sick, she could only guess. 

Quint closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm the shaking of her limbs. She realistically couldn’t have seen him sooner even if she’d known where he was, she reminded herself. Locating the Primarch had been priority and could not have been delayed.

She stood up and began to pace. Relief, guilt, and worry swirling around inside her and making it impossible to sit down.

She forced her feet to be still and took a deep breath. "Arashu. Grant me peace." She whispered, closing her eyes and focusing on the sound of her breath and the rhythm of her heart.

Quint had never been a spiritual person before meeting Thane. She still didn't consider herself one, but saying the words helped.

Even if Joker pulled out all the stops it would likely take eight hours to reach the Citadel. She couldn't spend the whole time panicking or she would have a heart attack.

Instead she sat cross-legged on the foot of her bed and meditated. After so much time spent around Thane, Liara, and Samara she had picked up the habit as a way of managing stress and restlessness.

Quint sat long enough that when she at last unfolded her legs and stretched her body felt stiff. Her mind however felt more at ease. The worry was still there, gnawing away at her insides, but it was quieter.

There was nothing more she could do until they reached the Citadel. This in mind, Quint lay back and closed her eyes. The exhaustion from the battle on Menae overtook her anxiety at last and she drifted to sleep.

  
  


“Commander Shepard.” EDI’s voice roused Quint from her dreamless sleep. “We are beginning our approach to the Citadel.”

She sat up and stretched. Rolling her neck she could feel the tension of anxiety returning with consciousness.

Quint got to her feet and headed to the elevator and back down to the CIC. When the doors opened she found Liara waiting, concern in her eyes.

The asari sensed the tense energy in Quint and fell in step with her as she exited the elevator.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry Quint."

"You don't need to apologise Liara-"

"I do." Liara cut her off. "You have so much to worry about and I could have eased some of it."

"Knowing hasn't really made me less worried, Liara."

"His condition is stable, if that helps."

The tension in her chest released slightly. "It does actually." She looked over and gave the asari a smile. "Thanks Liara."

As the door to the cockpit opened Joker was requesting docking permission from Alliance control.

"Permission granted Normandy. Proceed to docking bay D24. Do you require ground transport?" 

Shepard stepped up behind Joker, leaning over his shoulder. "I need to get to the hospital."

"Of course Commander. Transport inbound for rendezvous at Bay D24."

Joker gave her a glance. "I could have done that."

"Probably. Suppose we'll never know, will we?"

He shook his head. "Are we sure it's actually him? This could be a trap."

"It's him." Liara stepped up to Joker's other shoulder.

He shrugged. “Well okay then.”

It took another handful of minutes to complete docking, and the cockpit remained restlessly silent. Then the damper arms settled on the ship and Joker half turned towards Quint.

"Alright, welcome to the Cita-" but his voice fell when he realized she wasn't there anymore.

"EDI."

"Yes Doctor T'soni?"

"I believe you have the bridge." Liara watched over her shoulder as Quint rushed through the airlock out onto the Citadel.

Quint ran to the waiting transport, throwing herself in the back and slamming the door a little too hard. Then she focused on being still and keeping her breathing in check. Her right knee was bobbing uncontrollably and she couldn't make it stop.

The ride, which took minutes, seemed to stretch on for hours. When the transport finally did stop Quint was out of it in a flash, running to the hospital doors.

Reaching them she took a deep breath and made herself walk in. Running in a hospital gave people the wrong message. With what she hoped was a calm expression Quint approached the reception desk.

A pale asari greeted her with a warm smile. "Welcome to Huerta Memorial Hospital. How can I help you today?"

"Hi. I'm here to see Tannor Nuara. Can you direct me to his room?"

"Sere Nuara?" The asari's eyes flicked behind Quint's head to the left. "He's right over there ma'am." She pointed.

Quint turned to look where the woman indicated and the air dropped out of her lungs.

There he was. Back straight, shoulders back, and hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out the large window overlooking the presidium.

"Thank you." Her voice was distant and breathy and she was walking towards him without hearing any response from the receptionist, if one had been offered.

She stopped several yards short of his back, just looking at him. It felt unreal to be so close again. Everything in Quint wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him, and never let go again.

Sensing the presence behind him Thane turned, his expression weary. Seeing her however, his expression shifted to one of surprise before settling into joy. Quint felt the smile spread across her face to match.

"Siha. I heard Earth was under attack. I didn't know if you'd made it out." As he spoke he took several steps towards her, and she stepped forward to close the distance between them.

Her hands fell into his, the movement still familiar and natural. She squeezed them gently and he returned the gesture.

"Thane." The relief in her voice echoed that of his own. "I've missed you. I was worried…" she let her words trail off. They both knew what she had been worried about.

"I sent a few messages while you were incarcerated, but I suspect they never got past the guards."

She shook her head. "No communications in or out."

He nodded. "I suspected as much when I received no response. Based on your presence I assume you did get my most recent extranet message."

"Yes. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. We were orbiting Palavan when I got it."

"You have nothing to apologise for Siha. It is good to see you." He let go of one of her hands to gently cup one side of her face, thumb stroking her cheek. "I have only a few loves left, and you are my last."

Quint leaned forward and rolled onto her toes to kiss him, sliding her free hand around the small of his back as she did so.

He seemed surprised at first, but adapted quickly, returning the kiss.

He chuckled as they separated. A sound low in his throat that tickled Quint's entire body.

"Well… I see you want to make up for lost time." His eyes became troubled and his hand dropped away from her face to his side. "I should warn you that you may not want your final memories of me to be in this hospital. Kepral's Syndrome is…" he took a breath, his focus drifting away from her. "Not kind."

"Hey." She placed her palm gently against his chest, fingertips brushing his bare skin where it was exposed. "I've known from the beginning the way this was going to end. If I wasn't prepared for that, I wouldn't have begun."

A small smile tugged at one corner of his lips. "Your strength never ceases to amaze me, Siha."

He kissed her again. Just a soft brush of his lips against hers. He then gestured to a pair of empty seats which overlooked the view of the presidium. She nodded and they went to them. 

Quint sat forward on her chair so she could continue to hold Thane's hand. He didn't comment on this but from the way he glanced at their clasped hands and smiled she knew he took note of it.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, just taking in the view. Thane's thumb traced small circles on the back of Quint's hand.

She looked at him. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

He returned her gaze, his expression a complicated mix of emotions. "At times. The oxygen transfer proteins don't form correctly. Your human equivalent would be hemoglobin. As a result, my blood is low in oxygen. No matter how much I breathe in, I get tingling, numbness… and that is the best of it." He sighed and shook his head. "As for my brain, I cannot track the damage. I just experience dizziness from time to time."

Biting her lip, Quint looked away from him. "Do you know how much time you have left?"

"I've been to several doctors. My favorite gave me three months to live… six months ago."

Quint looked over at him again and found his expression calm, eyes unfocused on the horizon. His thumb had not ceased it's gentle circles on her hand.

"It's freeing to find no requirements placed on me. No responsibilities, no fears." His eyes met hers and he squeezed her hand. "It is a good end to a life." There was a smile on his lips.

She expected to feel anxiety creeping around her heart. It was frightening not knowing how long he had left; how long  _ they _ had left. But his serenity seemed to assuage her own fears.

"I'm back on the Normandy, as you suspected. You could come along. I could use your help." She smiled gently, but he shook his head.

"I would not be as I was before." He smiled, tightening his grip on her hand. "If I know you, you will want to fight the Reapers somehow. You need the best at your side, and I am not at mine."

"I didn't mean as a combatant. I would never suggest endangering you like that again. Not with your health and Kolyat..." she shook her head, averting her eyes from his. She felt strangely bashful over the request. "I meant as a companion."

"Forgive my assumption Siha." She could hear the surprise in his voice.

"I could have EDI adjust the humidity in my cabin again, seems the Alliance's retrofits reset the levels." She laughed. "I can barely sleep with so much moisture in the air." She talked faster and faster, eyes on everything but him, trying to drown out her own embarrassment with words.

"It's an Alliance vessel now but with my Spectre status I could grant you blanket immunity so no one would give you a hard time. I mean Liara is the Shadow Broker and she's on board and no one has said anything. Then again they're probably afraid of her. Then again that would probably apply to you as well. And besides I don't care what anyone thinks, it's my ship and-"

She hadn't noticed him move, her attention so focused on not looking at him. His lips against hers cut off her stream of words, his hands cradling her face as he knelt in front of her.

The kiss worked as intended, and when he pulled back from her she was silent. “Siha. I cannot express what it means to me that you wish me at your side. I wish I could say yes.”

“But you can’t.” She smiled sadly. He shook his head gently, dropping his hands to her lap. 

Quint had known it was unlikely. Thane had always been open about his distaste for hospitals and the idea of ending his life in one. The fact that he was here, at Huerta, said much of his health.

“I require daily medical attention. Attention that Dr. Chakwas and the Normandy’s medical bay cannot provide.” His expression mirrored her own. “And Kolyat is here. I would be loath to leave him.”

“It was thoughtless of me to ask. I’m sorry.”

“You continue to apologize when no apology is necessary Siha.” 

“Sorry.” She smiled and he chuckled. “I suppose I’ll just have to visit often.”

Thane got to his feet and looked out the window again. “You have many more important things to do that sit at my bedside I’m sure.”

Quint stood up. “I do have a lot of important things I need to do.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Seeing you is one of them.” He opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off with a gesture. “For me. You remind me why it’s important to keep fighting. I intend to enjoy the time we still have together, as much as I can.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t argue with such a beneficial arrangement.” Thane wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her body close to his side. Quint's arm drift around his back, enjoying being so close to him.

She absently noted that while the Kepral's was advancing, it had done nothing to effect his physique. She knew it wasn't the most appropriate train of thought considering the circumstances but, now acknowledged, the thought wouldn't go away. 

There was a smirk on her lips when she noticed Thane looking at her, his expression bemused. A flush ran over the crests of her cheeks.

"What are you thinking about?" Thane tilted his head down so his breath brushed her ear as he spoke. The change in his tone told Quint that he had a very good idea of what she had been thinking about.

"Think we can find someplace to slip off to? Just the two of us?"

"I'd like that."

“Me too.”

“You should understand that my cardiovascular system is not what it wa-"

She cut him off with a fierce kiss, hand moving to the back of his neck to pull him in closer and pressing her whole body against his. Thane responded in kind, pulling her hips against his own hard enough to make her gasp against his mouth. 

The taste of him was tart and sweet and smooth, like an exotic fruit. It was simultaneously suffocating and addictive. She felt herself becoming giddy and her lips were tingling, both results of the natural toxins in Thane's skin.

She pulled back from him, enjoying the gentle desperation as he resisted the parting. "You were saying something?" She smirked.

He returned the expression, a lascivious gleam in his eye. "I have missed you, Quentin."

He started to kiss her again but she pushed him back gently. "Thane, not here!" She giggled.

"I love it when you do that,"

She giggled again. The sound was a direct bi-product of the high caused my extended oral contact with his skin. As such it was only around him that she did it.

"I know. I'll do it more, and a lot of other things besides if you get me somewhere  _ private _ ."

He made a sound low in his throat that was something between a grunt and a growl, a sound that vibrated down her spine. 

Taking hold of her hand, he pulled her along after him into the hospital proper. They were oblivious to the stares and whispers in the lobby, eyes following them until the doors slid shut in their wake.


End file.
